[Imc-g8-2005] Press pack for 'Beat Freak' by Universal Taxi at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

[Graham Macfarlane]

       ***************BEAT FREAK -  PRESS RELEASE***************
                   “I’m just a freak. A Freak to the beat. A Beat Freak!”

“We need more people like him around. He’s got his own path which he is 
following….
he’s a true one off!...Macfarlane is a blagger, a crazy blagger!...
You’ve got to love him, as much as he loves himself…..
well, in his quest for fame, all we’re doing is helping!” (The Bees forum)

Graham Macfarlane will be debuting his new one man show ‘Beat Freak’ at this 
year's Edinburgh Festival

                                 August the 7th to the 27th
                                 clubWEST @ The Edinburgh Theosophical 
Society
                                 Great King Street, Edinburgh
                                 VENUE  151@ 18.15 daily

Be prepared for a dark comic journey into the psychotic workings of a 21st 
century Media Vagrant.  Its 2001.  Macfarlane takes us from the Isle of 
Wight, through France and into Prague, stopping briefly at the anti-G8 demo 
in Genoa, exploring the fringes of his and our own sanity.  Reflecting both 
on the self and the self-ish, Macfarlane dissects the culture we live in, to 
construct a modern fable for the Post-9/11 Blues.  With his Guardian Angel, 
King Solomon, along for the ride, he walks us down the road to Damascus 
looking for the exit sign (of the times).

Highlights of the show will include;
1) The theory of Ging (the Author being a Gingmaster)
2) Peculiarly Czech
3) Risk, Politics and the such,
4) Various ‘interruptions’ from King Solomon
5) The acclaimed rap song “My Friend Midi”
6) Two minute speed-lectures on Nihilistic Acid-Pop Culture
plus many other tales from the underground..........

Surreal? Yes. Philosophical? Most definitely. A playwright, a performer, a 
fool and a Believer? Your Honour, Macfarlane is all of these and less. But 
more importantly, is he guilty as charged? Come and judge for yourselves in 
August!


*********************BEAT FREAK - NOTES FOR EDITORS********************
                          “I’m just a freak. A Freak to the beat. A Beat 
Freak!”

Macfarlane has already established himself as an accomplished 
writer/director for the stage. Macfarlane’s theatre company Universal Taxi 
is currently touring his play Writers' Block across pub theatres, colleges 
and sundry hen houses throughout the UK. This will culminate in September 
with a prestigious show at The Spitz club in East London. Over the past ten 
years, he has delighted ever-expanding audiences in his attempt at merging 
the rock and roll aesthetic to British Theatre.

His brand of surreal philosophical comedies has sought to attract a 
non-theatre going public, more inclined to go to a gig/club/film/anything 
else than to go to the theatre and watch a play. He’s been banging his head 
against this wall for some time, making such a row, people are starting to 
wake up!

Macfarlane is 35 years old. Now living in Southampton, he still has close 
links with the renascent Isle of Wight cultural scene, which has seen fellow 
Ventnorians, The Bees, gain national acclaim, amongst others. He's also 
friends with the old master storyteller, Ken Campbell, who he consulted 
several times during the course of writing the show. And with Edinburgh 
temporarily the focus of global politics because of the near-by G8 meeting, 
it is appropriate that Beat Freak, a play forged in the midst of such 
upheavel, has its showcase at this year's festival.

FOR ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES, PICTURES & REVIEW TICKETS
PLEASE CONTACT VIC KING AT vic-k at iowrock.demon.co.uk : PHONE: 07765 65 1881
August 7th to 27th @ 18.15 daily @ clubWEST : TICKETS £7 & £5.
Festival Box Office: 0131 226 0000 or www.edfringe.com
information line: 07720 28 5550

For more info check out www.universaltaxi.co.uk